Markko Märtin
Markko Märtin | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 10, 1975 Tartu, Estonia |
| Occupation | Rally driver (former) |
| Years active | 2000–2005 (WRC) |
| Known for | Competed in World Rally Championship; five WRC wins |
Markko Märtin (born 10 November 1975 in Tartu) is a former rally driver from Estonia who competed in the World Rally Championship between 2000 and 2005.
Career
Märtin gained recognition during the 2002 season with the Ford World Rally Team, where he acted as a support driver to team leaders Colin McRae and Carlos Sainz. At the 2002 Acropolis Rally Greece, he was leading until two tire punctures forced him behind McRae. The following year, he claimed victory at that event and became only the third competitor to disrupt the Nordic stronghold at the Neste Rally Finland. In 2004, Märtin achieved wins driving for Ford at the inaugural Corona Rally Mexico as well as on the tarmac stages of Corsica and Catalunya. These triumphs were the final successes for the Märtin/Michael Park duo.
In 2005, Märtin transferred to former constructors' champions Peugeot, piloting the 307. By the time of the Wales Rally Great Britain, he and Park had secured four podium finishes that year. Tragically, during Stage 15, their Peugeot collided with a tree; while Märtin emerged unscathed, co-driver Park lost his life—the first fatality in WRC in over ten years. As a result of this loss, Märtin withdrew from the rest of the season's events.
The incident profoundly impacted Märtin, leading him to step away from elite WRC competition. He took on management of a junior rally team in Estonia and publicly criticized the FIA for eroding the sport's excitement, advocating for major regulatory reforms.
Märtin made a brief return to racing at the 2006 Rally of Portugal, an invitational event aspiring to WRC status, driving a Subaru Impreza—his first FIA-spec Group N vehicle in nearly a decade—with co-driver David Senior. That same year, he also competed in the 2006 Danish Touring Car Championship representing Honda Racing.
In 2008, Märtin was appointed as an official test driver for the Subaru World Rally Team. Since then, he has conducted testing duties for both Ford and Mini.
Life after WRC
In 2009, Märtin joined Ford as a research and development factory driver, contributing to vehicle testing and assisting in training WRC newcomer Ken Block for the 2010 season. On 7 June 2010, it was announced that he would participate in Rally Estonia (16–18 July 2010), an event seeking IRC status, driving a Ford Focus RS WRC 03, which he described as "the best rally car in the world." He dominated by winning all twelve stages and finishing more than two and a half minutes ahead of runner-up Ott Tänak.
Together with his father, Märtin runs a haulage company in Estonia and leases land and properties, including to Autospirit, a local automobile dealership. In 2005, he established MM Motorsport, a team that has earned several Estonian Rally Championship titles and operates a fleet of rentable Ford Fiesta R5 cars.
Personal life
Märtin lives in Monaco with Mari-Liis Sallo, who was crowned Miss Model Estonia in 2004; their first child was born in summer 2007.
He featured as an interviewee in the 2019 documentary Ott Tänak: The Movie and appeared again in the 2023 film Legends of the Winding Roads.
Märtin shared a close friendship with Richard Burns and was driving when Burns suffered a collapse on a UK motorway caused by an aggressive brain tumor. Märtin safely guided their car to the roadside, preventing any accident.
Comprehensive World Rally Championship Records
(key)
"| 5th "| 49 "| 3rd "| 79| Season | Driver | Vehicle | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Final Position | Total Points | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Markko Märtin | Toyota Celica GT-Four ST185 | MON |
SWE |
KEN |
POR |
ESP |
FRA |
ARG |
GRC |
NZL |
FIN Ret |
IDN |
ITA |
AUS |
GBR |
NC | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1998 | Markko Märtin | Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205 | MON |
SWE |
KEN |
POR Ret |
ESP |
FRA |
ARG |
GRC |
NZL |
FIN 12 |
ITA 9 |
AUS |
GBR Ret |
NC | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1999 | Markko Märtin | Ford Escort WRC | MON |
SWE 8 |
KEN |
POR Ret |
18th | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Toyota Corolla WRC AE111 | ESP < br /> < small > < / small > | FRA < br /> < small > < / small > | ARG < br /> < small > < / small > | style = " background:#DFFFDF; " |GRC < br /> < small >5 < / small > | NZL < br /> < small > < / small > | style = " background:#EFCFFF; " |FIN < br /> < small >Ret < / small > | CHN < br /> < small > < / small > | style = " background:#EFCFFF; " |ITA < br /> < small >Ret < / small > | AUS < br /> < small > < / small > | style = " background:#CFCFFF; " |GBR < br /> < small >8 < / small > | colspan=2| | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000 | Lukoil EOS Rally Team | Toyota Corolla WRC AE111 | MON < br /> < small > < / small > | style = " background:#CFCFFF; " |SWE < br /> < small >9 < / small > | KEN < br /> < small > < / small > | style = " background:#CFCFFF; " |POR < br /> < small >7 < / small > | style = " background:#CFCFFF; " |ESP < br /> < small >10 < / small > | ARG < br /> < small > < / small > | style = " background:#EFCFFF; " |GRC < br /> < small >Ret </ small > | NZL < br /> < small > </ small > | style = " background:#CFCFFF; " |FIN < br /> < small >10 </ small > | style = " background:#DFFFDF; " |CYP </ td> | 6</ td> | </ td> | Ret</ td> | 7</ td> | </ td> | 21st</ td> | 1</ td> |- ! nowrap |Subaru World Rally Team | Subaru Impreza WRC2000 | [[2000 Rally Australia AUS ]] Ret|colspan=3| | |||||||||||||||
| nowrap Subaru World Rally Team | nowrap [[Subaru Impreza WRC#WRC2001 Subaru Impreza WRC2001 ]] | style="background:#EFCFFF;" [[2001 Monte Carlo Rally MON ]] Ret</ small>|style="background:#CFCFFF;" [[2001 Swedish Rally SWE ]] <sm all>12</ small>|style="background:#EFCFFF;" [[2001 Rally Portugal POR ]] <sm all>Ret</ small>|style="background:#EFCFFF;" [[2001 Rally Catalunya ESP ]] <sm all>Ret</ small>|[[2001 Rally Argentina ARG ]] <sm all>|[[2001 Cyprus Rally CYP ]] <sm all>|style="background:#EFCFFF;" [[2001 Acropolis Rally GRC ]] <sm all>Ret</ small>|[[2001 Safari Rally KEN ]] <sm all>|style="background:#DFFFDF;" [[2001 Rally Finland FIN ]] <sm all>5</ small>|[[2001 Rally New Zealand NZL ]] <sm all>|style="background:#EFCFFF;" [[2001 Rallye Sanremo ITA ]] <sm all>Ret</ small>|style="background:#DFFFDF;" [[2001 Tour de Corse FRA ]] <sm all>6</ small>|[[2001 Rally Australia AUS ]] <sm all>|style="background:#EFCFFF;" [[2001 Rally GB GBR ]] <sm all>Ret</ small>|colspan=2| |
19th | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| nowrap Ford Motor Co | nowrap Ford Focus RS WRC 02 | style="background:#CFCFFF;"
[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [Monaco 12 DNS 8 8 8 4 6 4 5 6 5 Ret 5 2 ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] |
9th | 20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4
4 6 Ret Ret 1 Ret 5 1 DSQ 3 Ret 3 Ret | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2
7 1 3 2 Ret 24 Ret 2 4 3 3 Ret 1 1 Ret | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [Peugeot] | [Peugeot 307 WRC] | 4
2 3 5 4 3 5 8 6 3 4 Ret |
5th | 53 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
WRC triumphs
Victory Number Rally Event Championship Year Navigator Vehicle 1 50th BP Ultimate Acropolis Rally of Greece 2003 Michael Park Ford Focus RS WRC 03 2 53rd Neste Rally Finland 3 18º Corona Rally México 2004 4 48ème Tour de Corse – Rallye de France Ford Focus RS WRC 04 5 40º Rallye Catalunya-Costa Brava (Rallye de España)